Muslim lawyer Macapanton Abbas said detained Moro dissident leader Nur Misuari may not submit himself to a trial for rebellion even as the justice department last week ordered the start of the hearings.

"Since the whole thing is already pre-cooked, Misuari may no longer submit himself for trial," said Abbas.

The government announced on Saturday in the local media that the trial for Misuari would now start after workers have finished constructing a courthouse at a police camp outside Manila where the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor is being held.

The 14 Supreme Court magistrates directed Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Norberto Geraldez of Laguna province to "conduct the trial and hearing" of the rebellion case in the temporary courtroom inside Fort Santo Domingo.

The High Court approved the request of the Department of Justice to transfer Misuari's trial from Jolo, Sulu to Laguna's Calamba town for security reasons.

The High Court also directed the police to "strengthen the present level of security" around Fort Sto. Domingo "to ensure the safety and well-being of the constituents".

A charge of rebellion has been filed against Misuari for allegedly leading an uprising in his native Sulu last November.

More than a hundred civilians and followers of the deposed chief of the Moro National Liberation Front died in the failed uprising.